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Speed Skating 2018/Men's team pursuit
Format This competition exists out of three knock-out rounds. The time in the quarterfinals determines the placement in the (semi-)finals, after which head-to-head races are held. All teams start with three riders, and the time of the last speed skater counts towards the placement. The winners of the semifinals advance to the final, while the losers advance to the B final. The winner of the final wins Olympic gold. Preview Eight teams qualified for the event, and the Netherlands were the main favorites, after winning nine out of ten world titles in the team pursuit, as well as winning gold four years before. Although, the team has difficulties qualifying for Pyeongchang 2018, and hadn't performed well at the Olympic Games before. It was expected that Norway would be their biggest rivals, although South Korea (silver at Sochi 2014) had also set some good times in the prior season. The previous years showed inconsistencies in the performances, so each of the remaining teams New Zealand, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United States had a chance on a medal. The eight teams consisted out of a total of twenty-nine athletes, with oldest competitor Shane Dobbin more than five years older than second-oldest Denny Morrison, and Chung Jae-won and Kim Min Seok being the only two speed skaters younger than 20 years old. Fourteen out of twenty-nine athletes made their Olympic debut, while Denny Morrison, Sven Kramer, and Havard Bokko competed since Torino 2006. Out of the participants, Sven Kramer, Jan Blokhuijsen, Koen Verweij, and Lee Seung-hoon won medals at Sochi 2014. Current Records Summary Quarterfinals The quarterfinals were raced to determine the placement and division for the semifinals (and finals), with the fastest four times going through to the semifinals. Norway vs New Zealand The first quarterfinal saw Sindre Henriksen, Simen Spieler Nilsen and Sverre Lunde Pedersen racing against Shane Dobbin, Reyon Kay and Peter Michael. Norway had a good start, but New Zealand was able to hold on to their time, finishing only a second behind. Italy vs South Korea South Korea, which appeared with Chung Jae-won, Kim Min Seok (bronze at 1500 metres), and Lee Seung-hoon (5th at 5000 metres, 4th at 10000 metres), raced against Italy, who put Nicola Tumolero (bronze at 10000 metres), Riccardo Bugari and Andrea Giovannini forward. South Korea had a very strong race, being able to keep an average lap time of 27.42, and skating to 3:39.29, almost a second faster than Norway. Italy, on the other hand, lost almost 0.5 seconds to New Zealand, and had little chance of going through to the semifinals. Japan vs Canada The third quarterfinal was Seitaro Ichinohe, Shota Nakamura and Shane Williamson (as Japan) against Jordan Belchos, Ted-Jan Bloemen and Denny Morrison (as Canada). Despite Bloemen winning the gold medal at the 10000 metres, he had to work for his team, and he wasn't able to turn the tide in his favor. Japan, showed a consistent collaboration between the members but was only 0.02 seconds faster than Italy. United States vs Netherlands While the favorites the Netherlands appeared with their regular lineup of Jan Blokhuijsen, Sven Kramer and Koen Verweij, the United States showed up with Brian Hansen, Emery Lehman and Joey Mantia. The Netherlands were in a hard-fought battle with Norway's time, and was able to beat this time by only 0.06 seconds, while the United States failed to impress with the slowest time, over a second slower than Canada. Semifinals New Zealand vs South Korea Both teams appeared with the same lineup as they did in the quarterfinals. Although Peter Michael had to drag his team, it looked good for the Kiwis. Despite being about two-tenths of a second faster throughout almost the entire race, the race lasted one lap too long for Michael. Lee Seung-hoon was able to take the Korean team by the hand, winning almost a second over New Zealand in the last lap. Norway vs Netherlands While Norway switched out Sindre Henriksen for Havard Bokko, the Netherlands substituted an exhausted Koen Verweij for silver medalist Patrick Roest. While Norway had a near-perfect race, establishing a new Olympic record, the Netherlands didn't have luck on their side, one of the skates' mechanisms breaking at the start. Despite having a severe disadvantage, they still raced to a time faster than South Korea did in the first semifinal. Finals United States vs Canada The two teams with the slowest times in the quarterfinals, United States and Canada, would show off in the D final. The United States swapped Joey Mantia for Jonathan Garcia, while Canada switched Jordan Belchos for Benjamin Donnelly. Both teams weren't able to better their time from the quarterfinals, the United States eventually losing with a difference of 8 seconds to Canada. Italy vs Japan Japan, with Ryosuke Tsuchiya instead of Shota Nakamura, and Italy, with the same lineup, was decided in favor of Japan, after Italy was disqualified for crossing the demarcation line, despite being ahead almost the entire race. Netherlands vs New Zealand The B final was one-sided from the start. Being almost a second ahead after only two rounds, the Netherlands were able to hold and extend their lead, winning with a difference of 5 seconds at the finish line, once again winning an Olympic team pursuit medal. Norway vs South Korea With a good start, Norway took an early lead, but South Korea quickly gained ground, catching up on the Norwegian team halfway through the race. However, Sverre Lunde Pedersen showed his quality, carrying the Norwegians to a 1.2-second victory. Results Speed Skating 2018/Men's team pursuit/StartList|Startlist Speed Skating 2018/Men's team pursuit/Quarterfinals|Quarterfinals Speed Skating 2018/Men's team pursuit/Semifinals|Semifinals Speed Skating 2018/Men's team pursuit/Finals|Finals Speed Skating 2018/Men's team pursuit/Standings|Standings||true Category:Pyeongchang 2018 Events Category:Speed Skating 2018